by Alexa Shaik
Kyra withdrew from him. “We have to go, Kendall has homework.” She called out to him and walked over back to Keith when he started walking towards them. He stroked her cheek and cursed inwardly when she leaned her face into his hand. They didn’t notice Kendall was behind them until he coughed. They walked to his car and he drove them back.
When they got back, Kyra kissed Kendall’s forehead and had him go start on his homework. He hugged Keith and went inside. Keith escorted her to the door. “I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, take care.”
“You too.” He took her hand in his and drew her closer to him. Before she had any idea what was going on, his lips were on hers. She didn’t try to pull back but ran her fingers in his hair. He had his hand on her back, pulling her closer to him. They were in the moment and nothing was in their world but them. Sharing a sweet kiss, with fall leaves falling around them. When they pulled back, they pressed their foreheads together, trying to even their breaths. Kyra smiled and whispered, “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” He held her hand for a while then turned and walked over to his car. She stood there till he drove out of sight and tried composing herself as she got in.
Kendall looked up as the door opened. “What’s with the sheepish smile, mom?”
“Nothing, just concentrate on your homework.”
“Kay, but I will tell Keith about it.”
“Oh! Come here... you ...” she started chasing him around the room. He rested on the couch as he caught his breath. She ran to him and settled beside him. “You know I love you, don’t you?” she said, squeezing him.
“Yes, mom. I know and I love you too. You’re the best mom in the whole world.”
“Oh yeah? Well, you happen to be the best son in the world. And the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Okay mom, point taken. I still got homework and I am getting hungry.”
“Right,” she said as she tickled him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kyra was signing papers when Ms. Cruz called, “you have a visitor.”
“Send them in.” She looked up just in time to see Keith walk into her office. She smiled, “Hey, you.”
“Hey, you too. How are you?”
“I’m good. What brings you here?” she tried sounding professional but Keith could see beyond that. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“Not before I deliver these,” he waved a bouquet of flowers and handed it to her.
“Thank you,” she said as she set them in a vase on her desk. She realized he hadn’t sat. “Sorry, you may have a seat.”
“Thanks, so... how was last night?”
“What part of last night?” she asked, a smile playing on her face.
“All of it.”
“It was great. Especially the porch part.” They both laughed. He stood and walked up to her and helped her up. They got lost into each other’s eyes and had a long, passionate kiss. When they pulled away, Keith’s phone rang.
“Gorbachev, where the hell are you? Late again?”
“Coming, boss.” He hung up and turned to her. “Duty calls,” he kissed her forehead.
“See you later,” He kissed her again and then left.
She got back to work, but her head was a million thoughts away. “Focus, Kyra, focus. He’s just a man,” she told herself but another voice in her head argued, “Not just any man. He’s your man.” She smiled and shook her head, all in efforts to concentrate.
Her assistant, Vicki, walked in. “Your eyes are dilated. What is it?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Nothing,” she replied playing around with her pen.
“As far as I know, Keith is nothing.”
“It was just a kiss.”
“I would really love it if you’d fill me in on everything... but this is urgent. You have to sign these,” she said, handing her some documents. “Oh...” she added as she walked out, “Keep him. You seem a lot happier with him. And he seems like an excellent kisser.”
“Get out Vicki,” she said playfully.
Her cell phone rang as she headed home. Keith. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I hope I didn’t interfere with your work earlier.”
“That’s okay.”
“I forgot to ask... you busy tonight?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Would you like to hang out with me for the evening?”
“Just me? Or Kendall too?”
“Just you, if you don’t mind.”
“Yeah, okay. But I’ll have to drop him at Ian’s.”
“Cool.”
“Cool. See you then.” She hung up. Things were going fast and there was no way they’d slow down.
She picked Kendall up on her way. “Hey, how would you like to spend the evening at your Uncle Ian’s place?”
“Awesome! You’re going out on a date with Keith, aren’t you?”
“It’s not a date. Just hanging out.”
“Men don’t just hang out mom. It’s definitely a date. You should wear a dress.”
“How do you know all this stuff?”
“We’re in the 21st century. I know things.”
She scoffed.
Keith almost ran when he heard the doorbell. He smoothed his hair and inhaled deeply then opened the door. “Hi Keith,”
“Kyra... you look... dazzling.” She was wearing a short black dress and had her hair in a loose bun. Keith smiled as he memorized and took in all her beauty.
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” He was wearing a black T-shirt that brought out his wide shoulders and his arms. She could also make out his chest. He also wore a pair of dark jeans and a hint of cologne. Basic bachelor, she thought to herself. He stepped back and let her in. He could faintly smell the perfume she had on. He led her to the dining room which was lit by scented candles. On the table was a bottle of champagne and two glasses. She closed her eyes and took it all in.
“Keith, this is amazing.”
“I am glad you like it.” He pulled up a chair for her then headed to the kitchen.
“How was your day?” he asked as he set the food on the table.
“It was... interesting.” She said, a playful smile on her face.
“Oh yeah? How interesting?”
“Well, this guy came to my office and brought me flowers. He was also late for work so he might’ve gotten in trouble with his boss.”
“Do I know this guy? He seems pretty much awesome.” They laughed.
“Maybe, we’ll see when he comes back.” She said, stuffing her mouth with kale risotto. “Oh, this is really good.”
“Thank you... so how’s Kendall?”
“He’s pretty much Kendall. Always has something interesting going on in that little mind of his. He actually gave me dressing tips for tonight.”
“He did a great job at that.”
“Yeah, I guess he did,” she said, letting out a side smile.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
He led her into the living room. They sat down and he took her hand. “Kyra, I would be a bad man if I just pretended that I didn’t hurt you. But… we both know we can’t deny that we still have something. And I just want this night to be one fantastic night where we don’t have to think about the past.”
“But, we just can’t. It’s hard to forget.”
“I know… but just this once.”
“Keith…”
He leaned closer and pulled her to him for a long, slow kiss. She slipped her hand inside his shirt and moaned as she stroked his chest. He slowly ran his fingers through her back. After they broke off, he took her hand and led her to his bedroom. Kyra knew there was no turning back on this one. And she was ready to cherish every moment they shared together.
“So…” Keith asked as he looked at her. Her head was on his chest.
“So, what…?”
“How was… everything?” they both laughed.
“On a scale of one to ten, I’ll give you an e
ight.”
“I didn’t know I was that great.”
She scoffed. He kissed her forehead and tugged at her hair playfully.
“I have to leave soon.”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“But Kendall has school tomorrow.”
“So…we just call Ian and let him take care of Kendall. This is our night.” He put his arm around her and kissed her again.
“I’m punching you, if Ian scolds me.”
“Fair enough.”
She reached for her phone and dialed Ian’s number. “Hey, I am so sorry to ask you this on such short notice, but could you please take care of Kendall tonight?”
“This has to do with Keith, doesn’t it?”
She bit her lip. “Yeah…”
“Go ahead. I need time with the little guy anyway.”
“That’s it? You’re not going to give me a lecture?”
“Well, you’ve been a lot happier lately and that’s what matters. Got to give the guy some credit.”
“Thanks Ian.”
“Anytime.” He hung up. Keith put his arm around her waist and kissed her neck. “See, wasn’t that hard.”
“Yeah…can we get back to where we left off?”
“Sure…” they laughed as they leaned in for another kiss.
Kyra woke up to the sun rays beaming on her face. “Morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning,” she said running her fingers through his hair. They both chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. “This has been the best morning of my life since… I don’t know,” she said, stroking his face.
He kissed her forehead, “Glad to be a part of it. Coffee?”
“That sounds fantastic.”
“Be right back.” He kissed her, threw on a pair of jeans, and went to the kitchen, ruffling his hair. She smiled. She’d never felt more attracted to him.
She got up and looked around the room. Basic bachelor room. She threw on his shirt around herself. There were pictures of him and his family when he was little, on top of his drawers. And in the middle, a picture of her. She smiled, stroking the picture. Next to it was a picture of the two of them, when they had gotten engaged. She inhaled and went back to the picture of her. Keith walked up from behind her and hugged her to himself, kissing her neck. She turned, facing him.
“I don’t want to wake up if this is a dream, Keith.”
“Hey,” he kissed her forehead. “We’re going to make things right again.”
“Keith... I won’t deny it. I miss you. And I’d like to have what we had again. But I just can’t keep coming in and getting out of this. It’s not fair to either one of us, and most importantly, Kendall. He’s my number one priority.”
“I know, I know.” He pulled her close to him.
“Tell me what happened, Keith. I need to know everything.” She pulled back, “Why did you leave me at the altar? Without explaining anything?”
“Kyra, this is hard to explain.”
“We won’t get anywhere till we get past this. What happened?” Keith saw past the face she was letting on. She was scared, of finding out everything. But he owed it to her. And to himself too. He led her to the edge of his bed.
He sighed, “Here goes...”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
She sat down and he settled beside her. He squeezed her hand, “Remember Luke Williams, the attorney I worked with?”
“Yeah, what about him?”
“The last case I worked on involved a homicide and he was the defense attorney. The case was turned against him. If he would’ve won the case, he would’ve been on his way to being a judge. So, he tried bribing me and some witnesses to alter the truth. There was a lot of money involved. I wanted none of it, I just wanted justice for the family. Well, he lost the case and the district attorney found out about his attempt at bribing. I also hired a private investigator, who found out that the money was linked to fraudulence. That was the end of his law career. He found out I was the one who’d made a case against him. He swore that he’d strike where it hurt most. And we both knew that meant you. You were my world and he would do anything to destroy it.”
“That’s why you left me at the altar, you figured if he saw how much you’d hurt me, then him hurting you wouldn’t matter as much.” Tears found their way down her cheeks.
“Yeah, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And I couldn’t tell you, that tore me. But that wasn’t enough to convince him. He still wanted his revenge. So, I left, trying to figure everything out. In the process, I decided I couldn’t stand by and watch innocent people get no justice in court. That’s why I joined the police force with the help of my best friend, Trey. He helped me try to solve the case and hide me from anyone I ever knew. I don’t think I’d ever survive without him.
So, we found out that Williams had hired a gang to hunt me down, while in jail. I didn’t really know them by name or face. I had to cut off every form of contact or they’d have tracked me down. It was really hard for me but it was the only way. I couldn’t risk it.
Then Williams got out of jail a few months back, and I knew I couldn’t hide from him forever. That was my cue to come back. I knew he was still after me, but I had to come check on you. And I couldn’t leave you this time.” He stroked her face and she gulped, tears welling up her eyes.
“I couldn’t let him get to you. And I need to stand up to him this time.”
“What about the scars on your back?” she asked, her face a stream of tears.
“I got drunk one night at a bar, trying to drink away the pain of leaving you. And I got in a bar fight with a group of other drunks. They beat me up pretty bad. Trey happened to be patrolling that night and he stopped the fight. He took me to his house and took care of me. That’s how we became friends. I probably would’ve been killed that night, if it weren’t for him.”
“So, anyway,” he continued, “I came back... Trey and I joined the Boston P.D. hoping to at least know who was after me. When they robbed the bank, I still had no clue they were the guys. But when Parelli stabbed me, he looked at me in the eye and said, “I will find you, Gorbachev.
Even in the darkest night.” And I put it all together. That was the last thing Williams said to me. Word for word.”
“The guy that stabbed you was the same guy that attacked me?”
He nodded. “I’m guessing he knew you when he did.”
“We have to bring them to justice. Williams and the whole gang.”
“I know, I’ve been working on it.” He squeezed her hand and she sighed.
“Any way I can help?”
“You can... by being safe. I don’t want you near that guy. He’s bad news.” He hugged her to himself and kissed her forehead. He was now readier than ever to take Williams and Parelli down.
“I’m so sorry, Keith. For being so mad at you. I was hurt... and you just left. I couldn’t understand why. I’m so sorry,” she said, sobbing.
“Come here,” he hugged her again and she clung to him, not wanting to ever let go. “We’re here now, that’s all that matters.” He kissed her, and she held on to all of it, like it was the only thing keeping her alive.
“I love you, Keith Gorbachev. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”
“I love you, Kyra Sparks.”
Keith grabbed the phone and dialed, “Hey chief, I have a way to catch Parelli. It involves a lot of risk but it’s the only way.”
“Gorbachev... it better be a good one.”
“I’m coming down to the station. See you there.”
Kyra got in her car and stared out the windshield. She felt bad for holding such a grudge at Keith. But he’d only done it for her safety. He loved her, she could see it in his eyes and she was a jerk for ever doubting that. She would help him get through all this. For him, the love of her life, and the father of her son. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of that. It’s all she wanted all along and soon, it would be a reality.
“I love you, Keith,” s
he said to herself and sighed. It felt good saying it. And meaning it.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Hey handsome,” Kyra said as Keith entered her office.
“Hmm... let me guess... we’re exclusive now,” he said letting out a half smile.
“Let’s just say I’m feeling great today,” she said as she leaned in for a kiss. He grabbed her and twirled her as he kissed her.
“How’s my little guy?”
“He’s alright. He wants to see you and he keeps making kissing faces at me,” she said laughing. He joined her. He led her to her desk and leaned against it, “Do you think it’s time we tell him everything?”
“I don’t think so. Why don’t we wait until all this blows over? I don’t want him sleepless at night thinking there’s someone after his dad.”
He let out a wide grin.
“What?” she asked.
“You just called me his dad. Oh, we’re exclusive.”
“Ha-ha... so what does that make me?”
“My incredibly super-hot girlfriend?” he said drawing her to him. They kissed again.
“I like that. In fact, I love it.”
Keith got in his car and took out a notepad. He opened it, inside were scribbles and drawings. He tore out a sheet and dialed Trey’s number.
“Hey buddy,”
“What’s up bro?”
“I have a plan. But Parelli has to act first.”
“Love the sound of that.”
“Yeah, so we have to be on the lookout for whenever he strikes. Then we take him and the gang out and Williams gets dragged along with them.”
“And lock ‘em up for good.”
“About time we see justice being served in Boston.”
“Have you talked to Kyra yet?”
“Yeah I did. We’re good now.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. You deserve happiness in your life and I can tell she does make you happy.”
“She really does. Thanks Trey. None of this would be happening if it hadn’t been for you. I owe you.”